Week #5, Class #9: Blogging Peter Hessler's ORACLE BONES, Part 4

This assignment is due by Sunday night, February 6 at midnight. No credit will be given for late posts.



Read and then blog at this course blog thread below Part 4 of Peter Hessler's book ORACLE BONES: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME IN CHINA. Remember to begin keying in on Hessler's themes - China's "deep" history, the importance of writing as a cultural unifier and censor, etc.

BLOG GUIDELINES

1. In your blog post, list and describe FIVE of Hessler's observations about China in this section of the book that you find important, intriguing, confusing, or useful, using 2-3 sentences to describe each observation. Feel free to use quotes from his book, but keep your selected quotes to a sentence or shorter, and be sure to cite a page number.

2. In the same blog post, raise one SPECIFIC question about China that this section of Hessler's book raises for you. Be sure your question starts with the following words: "My question about China is..."

Mojo a go go,

Dr. W

Pre-Trip PRESENTATION and "Sample Example": Your China Mojo 2011 Multimedia Storytelling Plan

Goal: To identify and present your individual storytelling MEDIA approach(es) of choice for documenting your CHINA MOJO March 4-13, 2011 trip.

The overarching goal is to post, at your PERSONAL blog, four different 300 word + multimedia posts about your China Mojo experience, due by April 1. What media, technologies, applications and platforms will you do to do this?











Assignment: Please answer the following FOUR questions at your personal blog (include each question for the benefit of your readers) - and be prepared to present your pre-trip multimedia beginning on Monday, February 15 in class.

Questions to answer:

1. Which media environments and technologies/applications/platforms will I use in documenting and telling the story of my China trip?

Dr. W's answer: I will be using a combination of words and "video snapshots" of 30 seconds or fewer at the China Mojo course blog.

2. What equipment/gear will I need to bring to capture my stories?

I will be bringing a Flip camera and my Mac Book Pro laptop for editing, using iMovie as a simple editing program. I will share my videos at my YouTube page.

2. How will I capture and "bottle" my stories while traveling in China?

I plan to shoot a wide variety of daily "video snapshots" while traveling, and then edit and upload them to YT as soon as is possible.

4. Please provide a "sample example" of your multimedia approach here.

See above - I shot several video snapshots of our Mandarin immersion class with Jill Madden, and then stitched the together with simple book-ended text and "cross dissolve" FX.

Week #4, Class #7: Blogging Peter Hessler's ORACLE BONES, Part 3

This assignment is due by Sunday night, January 30 at midnight. No credit will be given for late posts.



Read and then blog at this course blog thread below Part 3 of Peter Hessler's book ORACLE BONES: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME IN CHINA. Remember to begin keying in on Hessler's themes - China's "deep" history, the importance of writing as a cultural unifier and censor, etc.

BLOG GUIDELINES

1. In your blog post, list and describe FIVE of Hessler's observations about China in this section of the book that you find important, intriguing, confusing, or useful, using 2-3 sentences to describe each observation. Feel free to use quotes from his book, but keep your selected quotes to a sentence or shorter, and be sure to cite a page number.

2. In the same blog post, raise one SPECIFIC question about China that this section of Hessler's book raises for you. Be sure your question starts with the following words: "My question about China is..."

Mojo a go go,

Dr. W

LAST TRAIN HOME: A 2009 Documentary Film

This is an "in class screening" of an important new documentary film called LAST TRAIN HOME by director Lixin Fan. The film provides some stunning insights into life for China's 21st century industrial working class.








Here's their official IMDB page.

And here is a link to their Facebook page.

Week #3, Class #6: "Hu Jintao Jets Into Washington" (YOUTUBE Video)

For this Thursday's class, watch this short video and then blog 5 sentences of reaction - what is the thesis of this video? Is the thesis accurate, in your mind? Why or why not?





What questions does this short video raise for you?

China Paper #1: Short PRE-TRIP Reflective Essay

This reflection is due at your personal blog by Sunday, January 30 at midnight. Be prepared to share your reflections in class. No credit will be given for late papers. Mojo a'go go!


China and "Panda Diplomacy."

At your personal blog, craft a 300 word multimedia reflection (be sure to include at least 3 "captioned and credited" photos or video embeds) that explores your initial beliefs, perceptions, and pre-conceived notions about Chinese history and culture. Don't be afraid to address stereotypes we in the West harbor about China - this is an important part of the exercise.

Consider the following questions:

1. What do you “know” about China?

2. Where does your “knowledge” about China come from? (Can you identify various sources – direct experience? Specific media outlets? etc.?)

3. What do you wish to learn more about re: China - be very specific here.

Week #3, Class #5: Blogging Peter Hessler's ORACLE BONES, Part 2

This assignment is due by Sunday night, January 23 at midnight. No credit will be given for late posts.



Read and then blog at this course blog thread below Part 2 of Peter Hessler's book ORACLE BONES: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME IN CHINA. Remember to begin keying in on Hessler's themes - China's "deep" history, the importance of writing as a cultural unifier and censor, etc.

BLOG GUIDELINES

1. In your blog post, list and describe FIVE of Hessler's observations about China in this section of the book that you find important, intriguing, confusing, or useful, using 2-3 sentences to describe each observation. Feel free to use quotes from his book, but keep your selected quotes to a sentence or shorter, and be sure to cite a page number.

2. In the same blog post, raise one SPECIFIC question about China that this section of Hessler's book raises for you. Be sure your question starts with the following words: "My question about China is..."

Mojo a go go,

Dr. W

Week #2, Class #4: Blogging "Why Chinese Mother Are Superior" Article

This assignment is due by Wednesday night, January 19, at midnight. No credit will be given for late posts.


Professor Amy Chua, courtesy of newhum.com.


Read Amy Chua, "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior."

Article found in Wall Street Journal. (January 2011).

Then, at our course blog, below, blog THREE specific observations you found interesting after reading Chua's article, and one specific question you have.

Mojo A'go go!

Week #2, Class #3: Creating your China Mojo PERSONAL BLOGS!

To receive full credit, this assignment must be completed and posted by Sunday night, January 16 at midnight. No credit will be given for late posts.



OK China Mojo'ers, let's create our own PERSONAL blogs.

Step #1: Go to Blogger.com and create a blog with a basic template of your choosing. (NOTE: Think carefully about your blog's title, as you'll be living with it for the rest of the semester).

Step #2: Re-post (copy and paste) your first week mini-biography from our COURSE blog to your PERSONAL blog. Be sure to give your VERY FIRST blog post a catchy title, AND include at least ONE hyperlink, one embedded video, and one photo that somehow illustrates and enhances your written text.

Step #3: Immediately e-mail to me your Blogger URL - please use this address: rob.williams AT (the @ sign) madriver.com. (NOTE: Your URL should have the word "blogspot" in the name - example: http://vermontyak.blogspot.com/.)

In short, email me at rob.williams@madriver.com with your personal blog URL.

Be prepared to share your personal blogs with us in class starting next week.

China Mojo a'gogo!

Week #2, Class #3: Blogging Peter Hessler's ORACLE BONES, Part 1

This assignment is due by Sunday night, January 16 at midnight. No credit will be given for late posts.



Read and then blog at this course blog thread below Part 1 of Peter Hessler's book ORACLE BONES: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME IN CHINA.

BLOG GUIDELINES

1. In your blog post, list and describe FIVE of Hessler's observations about China in this section of the book that you find important, intriguing, confusing, or useful, using 2-3 sentences to describe each observation. Feel free to use quotes from his book, but keep your selected quotes to a sentence or shorter, and be sure to cite a page number.

2. In the same blog post, raise one SPECIFIC question about China that this section of Hessler's book raises for you. Be sure your question starts with the following words: "My question about China is..."

Mojo a go go,

Dr. W

Week #1, Class #2: STILL LIFE, and Our 21st Century Media Culture's Eight Storytelling Trends

Here's the trailer for a Jia Zhang-Ke directed film about the Three Gorges Dam Project called STILL LIFE (2006).

How does the trailer "work" on our triune brain? Which of our eight 21st century media trends does the YouTube trailer help illustrate?

Week #1, Class #1: "Neehow," Welcome, and Introductions!

Hello, and welcome to China Mojo Core 330!

This is a simple representation of our triune brain, the most complex living thing in the known universe.



And this is a simple map of China, the planet's second largest country and the oldest continuously functioning civilization in all of world history.



Some historical context - a helpful 1959-2010 CHINA historical timeline from the BBC News Service (note the pro-Western bias.)

And here's a short video of the 2008 Olympics -Opening Ceremony - in Beijing.

My name is Dr. Rob Williams.

Here's a photo of me smashing a television with a 9 pound sledge maul.



Here's the television post-maul.



Here's an official but mercifully brief bio about me.

Dr. Rob Williams is a Vermont-based musician, historian, consultant, journalist, and media educator/maker who teaches F2F and online media and communications courses at Champlain College; edits and publishes a statewide independent news journal called Vermont Commons: Voices of Independence; co-owns and farms at Vermont Yak Company in the Mad River Valley, a farm business raising grass-fed yaks for meat and agri-tourism; and performs music with a pherocious acoustic power trio called The Phineas Gage Project.

More personally, feel free to come and connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

Please take a few minutes below to tell us about yourself!

Here are FOUR questions to answer:

1. Where are you from? State or province, and town?

2. Describe a fun media experience you had during your holiday vacation. BE SPECIFIC.

3. Describe one thing you LIKE about our 21st century media culture, and one thing you DON'T LIKE about our 21st century media culture. BE SPECIFIC!

4. What vision do you have for your future, professionally?

Welcome aboard! I look forward to working with you.